FRIDAY EVENT: A MOVEABLE FEAST Whether you are a theatergoer, symphony lover or tech junkie, the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music’s most popular fundraiser has something for you. Enjoy cocktails and gourmet hors d’oeuvres in between lively performances that sample the best of CCM, including musical theater, dance, drama, opera, choral music, chamber music, wind symphony, piano, backstage tours and lighting demos. 6:15-10:30 p.m. Friday. $35-$125. University of Cincinnati, Mary Emery Hall, 290 CCM Blvd., Clifton Heights, ccm.uc.edu.
DANCE: BODY AGAINST BODY
Eight members of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company appear this weekend in Body Against Body at the Aronoff Center. The company was founded in 1982 by Bill T. Jones and his partner Arnie Zane, who died in 1988. Cincinnati audiences will see three illuminating pieces that return to company roots: Duet X 2 and Shared Distance — both small, intimate works from 1982 performed in silence — and Continuous Replay, an early solo concept from Zane most recently revised as a full company piece in 1994, set to “Music for Octet” composed and assembled by Jerome Begin from Beethoven string quartets. Read more about the performance here. Contemporary Dance Theater presents Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company’s Body Against Body Friday and Saturday at the Aronoff Center. Tickets/more info: cdt-dance.org/billtjones16.
ONSTAGE: CHAPTER TWO
For years, Neil Simon wrote hilarious comedies — Barefoot in the Park and The Odd Couple. But in 1977, he began to mine his own life for material. Chapter Two, a play about a widowed writer trying to start over while still grieving for his late wife, was rooted in his own experience. Simon’s trademarked one-liners are still there, but woven into the show’s humor is a story about coming to terms with death and moving on. With this whimsical play, Simon began to be taken more seriously. Local director Ed Cohen stages Chapter Two, which increases the odds for a good production. Through Feb. 14. $26; $23 seniors/students. Covedale Center for the Performing Arts, 4990 Glendale Ave., Covedale, 513-241-6550, cincinnatilandmarkproductions.com.
COMEDY: SARAH COLONNA
“When I was 5, I was like, ‘I’m going to be comedian and an actress and I’m going to be on TV.’ My mom was like, ‘OK,’” says comedian Sarah Colonna. After she moved to Los Angeles, her mom continued to be her biggest cheerleader, even when times were rough. That belief and Colonna’s tenacity paid off — she eventually became a writer and panelist on Cheslea Lately, as well as a best-selling author. Her second book, Has Anyone Seen My Pants?, was released last year. Much like her stand-up, the book focuses on personal stories in a sharp, hilarious and self-effacing style. Showtimes Thursday-Saturday. $12-$17. Liberty Funny Bone, 7518 Bales St., Liberty Township, 513-779-5233, liberty.funnybone.com.
MUSIC: LUKE WADE
Unlike a lot of contestants on The Voice, NBC’s vocal talent show, Luke Wade wasn’t looking to get a record deal out of the experience. He had already released his sophomore album, The River, the spring before he successfully navigated the competition’s audition process and secured a spot on Pharrell Williams’ team until his eventual elimination in the program’s seventh season. Wade’s consolation prize was the broad exposure he’d received on The Voice, which translated to an exponential increase in his core audience and a significant spike in interest regarding The River. Critical comparisons between Wade and singer/song-writers like Ray LaMontagne, Van Morrison and Glen Hansard were completely justified, as Wade’s mournful rasp and earnestly heartfelt songwriting style placed him firmly in their hallowed company. Read more in this week's Sound Advice. Luke Wade performs Friday at Live! at the Ludlow Garage. More info: liveattheludlowgarage.com.
SATURDAY
EVENT: FANDOM: DOWNTON ABBEY
If you happen to be a fan of Downton Abbey or a superfan of the costumes and witty one-liners of the Dowager Countess — and who isn’t? — head to the Cincinnati Art Museum for “Fandom: Downton Abbey,” part of the museum’s new monthly gallery conversation series that brings together art and pop culture through guided gallery tours. Celebrate (or mourn) the conclusion of Downton Abbey with an exploration of museum collection paintings, objects and costumes that fit into the lavish lifestyle of the Granthams. 2-3 p.m. Free; reservations required. Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Eden Park, 513-721-ARTS, cincinnatiartmuseum.org.
EVENT: 2016 KARNEVAL MASKENBALL
Glücklicher Karneval! The annual Rheinische celebration of Karneval, or German Mardi Gras, begins every year on Nov. 11 (specifically at 11:11 a.m.) and continues through Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Join in the festivities during the Germania Society of Cincinnati’s 2016 Maskenball, an eccentric and colorful dance that culminates with a costume contest and prizes, with winners determined by the newly crowned Prinzenpaar — prince and princess — of the Germania Society’s current Karneval season. The PROST band performs live music throughout the evening in addition to traditional dance routines by the Germania Prinzengarde. 7:11-11:45 p.m. Saturday. $20. Radisson Hotel, 668 W. Fifth St., Covington, Ky., 513-742-0060, germaniasociety.com.
MUSIC: X_X
If you draw a blank at the mention of the Cleveland Art-Experimental-Noise-Proto-Punk band X_X, that’s what its founder, John D. Morton, wants. That’s because the band’s name is pronounced “X-blank-X,” and it has been known to insert some other name into that blank space to fit the mood or project of the moment. It’s the kind of confounding, confrontational gesture one expects from a band led by a visual/performance artist. For instance, X_X used the name X (The Jazz Destroyers) X for their new record, Albert Ayler’s Ghosts Live at the Yellow Ghetto. It is the group’s first new album since… well, a case can be made it’s their first ever. Read more about the group in this week's Sound Advice. See X_X with Obnox and All-Seeing Eyes Saturday at MOTR Pub. More info/tickets: motrpub.com.
ATTRACTIONS: HATCHING SPRING BLOOMS AT KROHN CONSERVATORY
We might have just gotten our first snows of the season, but Krohn Conservatory is launching headlong into spring with its new floral show, Hatching Spring Blooms. Spring is in the air with fragrant daffodils, hyacinths, hydrangeas and bright green grass laid out in geometric patterns. Overhead, painted pastel branches hang above a canopy of trees, decorated with hundreds of painted eggs. You can even wander a hidden forest path lined with moss and stepping stones. Through March 13. $4 adults; $2 youth. Krohn Conservatory, 1501 Eden Park Drive, Eden Park, 513-421-5707, cincinnatiparks.com.
SUNDAY
EVENT: CINCY BRUNCH BUS
Take Sunday Funday to a new level with Cincy Brew Bus’ Brunch Bus. The party starts at Taft’s Ale House with the brewhouse brunch menu, followed by a full-size beer tasting starting at 11:15 a.m. Then hop on the bus for stops at Rhinegiest and MadTree, with behind-the-scenes tours, informative history lessons, fun and more beer. Tour lasts approximately five hours. 10:45 a.m. Sunday. $52. Taft’s Ale House, 1429 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-258-7909, cincybrewbus.com.
ONSTAGE: PINK MARTINI WITH SPECIAL GUEST THE VON TRAPPS
Place yourself smack-dab in the middle of a Rio de Janeiro Samba parade — just a little closer to home than Brazil. Twelve-piece “little orchestra” Pink Martini joins the Cincinnati Pops for a multi-lingual concert that showcases a mix of Cabaret, Samba and Jazz. Place yourself smack-dab in the middle of a Rio de Janeiro Samba parade — just a little closer to home than Brazil. Twelve-piece “little orchestra” Pink Martini joins the Cincinnati Pops for a multi-lingual concert that showcases a mix of Cabaret, Samba and Jazz. 7 p.m. Sunday. $20-$95. Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-381-3300, cincinnatisymphony.org.
TV: THE X-FILES
Mulder and Scully are back. In this 10th-season opener, the duo reteams when a popular web-show host uncovers a possible government conspiracy. Elsewhere, someone who claims to have been abducted by aliens shakes Mulder’s beliefs. The limited series continues with its regular schedule at 8 p.m. Monday with an investigation into a scientist’s suicide that leads the two to a lab used for unusual genetic experiments. Series Premiere, 10 p.m., Fox.
ATTRACTIONS: ICE RINK AT FOUNTAIN SQUARE
Fountain Square’s Ice Rink is officially open, offering daily skating and special events all the way through February. Rent a pair of skates on-site and spend the day in the heart of downtown. Open daily. $6 admission; $4 skate rental. Fifth and Vine streets, Downtown, myfountainsquare.com.
ONSTAGE: DANCING WITH THE STARS LIVE! DANCING ALL NIGHT TOUR
Live music, flamboyant and glittery costumes, a partially shirted Valentin Chmerkovskiy… If you enjoy watching this dancing competition on TV, you’ll love seeing it in your own backyard at the Taft Theatre. The new production of Dancing With the Stars Live! follows previous back-to-back, sold-out tours. Fans can expect to see special guests alongside the regular troop of ballroom pros. 7 p.m. Sunday. $47-$75. Taft Theatre, 317 E. Fifth St., Downtown, tafttheatre.org.
ART: HIGH STYLE: TWENTIETH-CENTURY MASTERWORKS FROM THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM COSTUME COLLECTION
Two separate traveling fashion exhibitions — High Style and The Total Look — both brought here by Cynthia Amneus, curator of fashion arts and textiles/chief curator, showed how 20th-century fashion can have just as visionary and avant-garde an agenda — in the hands of a Gernreich, Charles James or Elsa Schiaparelli — as painting or sculpture. High Style: Twentieth-Century Masterworks from the Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection continues through Jan. 24 at the Cincinnati Art Museum. More info: cincinnatiartmuseum.org.
